General Assembly of the Focolare Movement about to start

27 Aug 2014 | Non categorizzato

The Mariapolis Centre in Castelgandolfo, Rome, will gather 494 world representatives of the Focolare Movement; they will come from different geographical regions. These are lay and consecrated persons, adults and young people, men and women, an expression of the diversity that characterizes the Movement. Another 49 participants belong to other Christian Churches. Also invited are members of other religions and persons of no religious affiliation. Focolare Communities all over the world have participated very extensively in the preparation for this event, and this resulted in a number of reflections and proposals being tabled for an assembly which is expected to give its views on key topics relating to the life of the entire Movement. The introductory part of the Movement’s General Statute states that “the norm of norms, the premise to every other rule” is mutual love, as this is the base for the action of Holy Spirit; and it is this  the “logic” that guided all consultations made in preparing for this Assembly. This preparatory work has brought to the surface questions, challenges and demands that show the vitality of the life of the Focolare people. Matters that have emerged in a very particular way are loyalty towards the Movement’s charismatic identity, attention to young people, to the elderly and to families, and the need to look beyond the Movement and move towards the pains of humanity, offering privileged care to those gripped by the most diverse needs. Therefore, here is a call for further action, together with an adequate and updated spiritual formation, in line with the spirituality of communion typical of the charism of the Focolare Movement, so that Jesus himself, present among those united in His name, (cf. Mt 18, 20), may walk in the streets to meet the men and women of today. Contributions from the preparatory work have been summarized into twelve major themes. During the Assembly these will be discussed by the groups of participants and in plenary sessions so as to direct the Movement in the coming years. After a few days of spiritual retreat and some work, the Assembly will elect the President, the Co-President and the general councillors for the next six years. The participants will be received by Pope Francis  at the Vatican. The General Assembly is the main governing body of the Focolare Movement and ordinarily meets every six years.

Angels with only one wing: the challenge EOC in Mexico

26 Aug 2014 | Non categorizzato

“The Economy of Communion is a different way of thinking, feeling and acting!” Galo Pozo, a business consultant in Ecuador, doesn’t mince his words in defining the EOC project, inviting the young participants to “risk their lives, in the best possible sense, for this project.” Galo Pozo seems to be saying these things first of all to himself: he is one of them, one of the participants at the Economy of Communion (EOC), “Summer School” which was held from 11^th -15^th  August in “El Diamante“(“The Diamond”) , the little town of the Focolare a few kilometres from Puebla, Central Mexico. Pozo is one of them because, as Luigino Bruni, Coordinator of the International Commission of the EOC, said, “Here there are no teachers or students, but people who learn from each other in communion.” And so 60 people, including students, entrepreneurs and specialists of the Economy of Communion flocked from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador as well as from France, Switzerland and Italy, in order to deepen the different aspects of the theory and practice of this economic project. The school’s programme included plenary lectures thanks to the contributions of the aforementioned Bruni and Gozo, but also Swiss economist Luca Crivelli, Anouk Grevin from France and Brazilian entrepreneur Armando Tortelli (members of the International Commission EOC). There were visits to the concrete realities in the area that already operate  in the spirit of the Economy of Communion, like the Santa Maria School, in the nearby town of Actipan, which gives a strong witness of what can be done: in a context of extreme poverty and degradation of all kinds,  a school was established, attended today by boys and girls from different social and economic conditions, who enjoy an harmonious coexistence. Here the whole school community is actively involved, starting from the families, they all teach and each learns what is most important in life, experiencing a fullness as people in all dimensions: physical, intellectual, psychological and spiritual. A concrete application that shows how our behaviour in corporate life, characterized by creativity, innovation and a strong love for the poor, can really transform the reality that surrounds us. The moments of communion and sharing of experiences were fundamental, and helped to create networks of collaboration among all, in order to strengthen and develop each one’s  business ventures, their heartfelt  “dreams”. The initiatives which have emerged because of  the centrality given to the communion of goods, social commitment and the centrality of the person include: digital platforms to find funding, production of clothing, art galleries, a training school for trades, online shops. “We came here with very different ideas, professions and national realities”, write the young people in their Final Manifesto, “The Economy of Communion invites us to look at all these differences with fresh eyes and beyond borders, to perceive the multiple dimensions of poverty and to engage freely in changing the world every day. (…) Not allowing ourselves to be limited by borders, we want to find alternatives to the current economic model which does not respond to our deep desire for a just and more fraternal society, where love is the greatest instrument of transformation. We are “angels with only one wing” that in order to fly must embrace one another.”

Experiences from Iraq / 2

25 Aug 2014 | Non categorizzato

Photo: S. Baldwin/UNHCR

The Amazon Project continues

24 Aug 2014 | Non categorizzato

“Words cannot express the great joy and the change that I feel.”; “These days have marked my life”. These are the spontaneous impressions of two young people, Eduardo from Abaetetuba and Leticia from Curupaiti del Parà (Northern Brazil), after an intense week spent with “Amazone Project”. Initiated by the  Focolare Movement, the project hopes to be an answer to the appeal launched by the Bishops of Brazil to the different expressions of the Church for the evangelization of this vast piece of land, where Catholics are decreasing in number, the priests are few, while there is an increase in membership in the sects. Abaetetuba is one of the cities at the center of this project. Immersed in the forest, it rises on the shores of the Maratauira River.  It is spread among 72 islands where half of its 150,000 inhabitants live. The majority of the population has to face many difficulties daily due to their great poverty, but these people are gifted with a joyful character and a strong fighting spirit, always ready to give to others the best that they have to offer.  The 45 “missionaries” of the Focolare, coming from all over Brazil, together with the members of the Movement in that place and the parishioners of three communities, went from house to house (around 1,900 people), receiving a warm welcome wherever they went. “When visiting a family,” Laiane of Maranhão shared, “I met a woman who was going through a huge trial: during those days a young boy was killed, her neighbour whom she considered as her son. She took care of him since he was small and she did everything to help him to overcome his drug problem, without success. She greatly needed someone to listen to her. When we greeted each other as I was leaving, she didn’t stop thanking me: “You have been a gift from God”. “In another family I found a paralyzed elderly man. I gave him the Word of life of that month: ‘I am with you everyday, up to the end of the world’; I met his gaze: he agreed with all his heart”. “Sometimes I let myself be defeated by the difficulties, but listening to these people I was struck by by how their faith helps them to overcome very big problems”, Eduardo affirmed. The “Project Amazons” is not only evangelization in the spiritual sense, but concrete service. “In partnership with government agencies  – Natalia (Rio de Janeiro) and Manuela (Sergipe, Northeast) shared –  we have collaborated in a social action to respond to the request for documents for those seeking employment, to facilitate access to health services and the participation in social programs of the government”. This project has been going on for eight years now. There have been many fruits: revitalization of the community, a growth in the relationship with the civil authorities, a new protagonism of the population for the social and spiritual development of the city.

Experiences from Iraq/1

23 Aug 2014 | Non categorizzato

  R. wrote, “After the elections that took place this year, the situation in our country worsened, because until a few days ago a government had not been formed. Extremist groups of Isis Jihadists took advantage of this situation and began to advance in the North. Many families fled to take refuge in safer places. Some families of the Movement who live in more secure places took them into their homes. While the mass media transmit tragic news, we seek to bear witness with concrete acts of love and mercy towards all”. V. said, “Before the situation became worse, a friend and I were trying to think of a way to give courage and hope to the people of our city, many were emigrating. We talked to some city officials to ask to post encouraging phrases on the walls of the city, trying to highlight the positive, since only negative news were spreading. One day we helped a family of the Movement who had taken refuge in our city. They needed water. One of our neighbours, who we didn’t even know very well, gave us water intended for his own family since he saw the others needed it more. Other families asked us to find them a place to stay. We prayed that God would help us. We remembered a boarded up house that belongs to relations of ours  who had emigrated abroad. We contacted them and immediately they gave us the go ahead.” The experience of V. refers to the days when people were uncertain about their future because just 20 Kms away, extremist groups had driven the Christians out of Mosul. Rana added, “Unfortunately, they then also attacked some small villages, mostly Christian. To save their lives, the people had to leave their homes in the middle of the night, leaving everything behind: goods, homes, jobs, clothes and documents … Many are now living in the north of the country with other families they don’t know or for the luckier ones, with relatives. But many are still sleeping in the open air, in the squares or in churches and schools. Or else two or three families may have to live together in a small house. Some survive on the aid coming from the NGOs or churches, just enough to get through the day. Their hopes of returning home are minimal and there is talk of not for at least a year or two. Many children play in the scorching sun with stones or empty water bottles! The summer here is very hot, with temperatures still reaching 45 degrees during the day and at night dropping to 25 degrees.” R. continued,  “Practically all the young people we know have had to leave everything: their homes, schools, work … Some fled to Duhok, a city in the north of the country, where they were welcomed by a family of movement. They found themselves together, living in a situation similar to that of the early days of the Movement during the Second World War, where despite the fury of the bombs they continued to help everyone. Spontaneously, families and young people started to get together to pray the Rosary. Every day others join and now there are about sixty people who pray every day, each time in a different house. Some of the displaced families found refuge in the church, others in a school, and others in a building under construction. The majority are Christian and recently  some Yazidic families arrived. The fundraising initiative of the young people of the movement throughout the world is giving us the opportunity to help them because they have nothing. In Dohok we were able to buy groceries, mattresses, sheets and fans.” V said, “Along with a friend we had already bought a lot of mattresses, but there still wasn’t enough so we went to another village to buy them. After explaining why we were buying them,  the shop owner joined in our initiative and gave us the mattresses for nothing. So we were then able to buy other things” (to be continued) For those wishing to help the Christians of Iraq: IBAN JO09 ARAB 1110 0000 0011 1210 9985 98 Account: 0111 210998 0 598 Swiftcode: ARABJOAX100 Description:  Help Christians in Iraq ARAB Bank – Amman branch Amman – Jordan